Phoebus Folly

Phoebus Folly truly was a dream
come true. The April 1998 issue of Dollshouse
World arrived right on time...and my adventure with Frances England of
England's Magic began! This gamekeeper's cottage was featured in the magazine. I
immediately fell in love with the idea, the beauty and the artistry. Phoebus
arrived at my home on April 8, 1998. Since that time, I have invested
time, effort, love and imagination in this creation...

Francis
created a wonderful structure, complete with leaded glass windows, a set-in
stairwell with closet below, and many special spaces throughout the house.Please
click the photo for a full view of the detail of the side
of Phoebus. However,
the house was not without challenges. All of the rooms are purposely quite small
since this is a gamekeeper's cottage; this led to many planning and design
dilemmas. All of the windows have beautifully finished window frames, but they
had permanently installed interior pieces. Lastly, any changes in the wiring led
to several wiring challenges and problems. I spent several weeks just looking at
Phoebus, planning approaches, interior design, and formulating the final
"look and feel" of this cottage.

As part of this process, I contacted
Frances and asked her the intentions of Phoebus Folly. She explained the
design of a gamekeeper's lodge in detail.

There
are actually two main rooms on each floor. The "side" entrance double doors lead to the living
room/lounge area, while the side door opens to the entrance hall, kitchen and
eating area.(Click
on the red arrow or picture for a larger view of the lower area!) The architecture is actually Victorian Gothic. With this
information and a few ideas of my own, I began planning.... Although I chose not
to create a Victorian interior, the design and furnishings of the interior are
quite simple and perhaps turn of the century. Here are some of the details that
helped create the effect in Phoebus.

Many of the walls and ceilings were hand painted for a used
and rough effect.Please
click on the thumbnail picture for an enlarged view.

The wallpaper in the eating area is actually regular
wallpaper with very tiny horses on it.
This entire area is really a tribute to Noral Olson.

All of the window treatments were created by Marcia McClain
who deserves special credit for her patience and ability to create what I
have envisioned. She found just the right material and design for each
window!
Please click on the picture below or the
arrow to view these two areas in
detail. These two areas are actually areas in the wall that opens. This
special space was completed with Noral Olson furniture.

The side view of Phoebus reveals a fireplace, dry
sink and small back entrance.

The lighting in Phoebus came from two sources. The wall
sconces were creations of Mary at
Hammer-N-Smith; the chandeliers were creations of Isobel
at The Lighting Bug. Please click on their names to be send them e-mail.
I decided that I wanted all of the lighting to be pewter rather than gold. All
of it was handpainted and designed with simplicity in mind!

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